Many computing devices now accommodate some form of wireless communication functionality. Common examples of such wireless-enabled devices include laptop-type computers of various sizes and feature sets, mobile telephones, personal digital assistant (PDA) devices, tablet-type computing devices, book reader devices, and so on. In view of the success of these wireless-enabled devices in the marketplace, the industry can be expected to offer additional types of wireless-enabled devices in the future.
Some manufacturers have attempted to consolidate many different functions into a single wireless-enabled device. Yet, at present, many users own two or more distinct wireless-enabled devices. Furthermore, many users routinely carry and utilize plural wireless-enabled devices. For example, a user who departs for a business trip may bring along a mobile telephone, a tablet-type device, and a laptop computer. Each of these devices may fulfill a slightly different purpose over the course of the trip.
A user who purchases a wireless-enabled device is typically expected to enter into a contractual obligation with a communications operator. For example, a user who owns a mobile telephone and a wireless modem card (for use, for example, in conjunction with a laptop computer) may sign up for two separate accounts with one or more communications operators. The account associated with the mobile telephone may entitle the user to talk for a prescribed number of minutes in a billing cycle. The account associated with the wireless modem card may allow the user to consume a prescribed volume of content during the billing cycle, and so forth. In addition, or alternatively, an account may allow the user to obtain information at a prescribed maximum bandwidth, and so on.
The above-described arrangement is not fully satisfactory, for illustrative reasons set forth in greater detail herein.